The Black Cats have been looking to add to their coaching staff ever since Mike Dodds left at the start of the year to take over at Wycombe Wanderers.
Kristjaan Speakman and Regis Le Bris opted not to bring in a new face in the latter stages of last season as they did not want to disrupt the existing set-up at a pivotal stage of the campaign.
However, there was a strong desire to make improvements this summer, with confirmation of Vulcano’s appointment understood to be imminent.
The 37-year-old, who is a UEFA Pro Licence holder, has previously been an analyst with both Inter Milan and Fiorentina.
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He was appointed to the role of technical coach at AC Milan in October 2019 and spent almost five years in a senior coaching role at the San Siro.
He left to move to Saudi Arabia last September and has spent the last nine months working as the assistant manager at Al-Nassr.
He worked under Stefano Pioli at Al-Nassr, overseeing a squad that features the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran, and helped Al-Nassr finish third in last season’s Saudi Pro League, ensuring their qualification for the AFC Champions League.
However, Pioli left Saudi Arabia at the end of last season to take charge of Italian side Fiorentina, and while Vulcano was offered the opportunity to follow him to Serie A, the former number two decided not to keep the partnership intact.
Instead, he made himself open to alternative offers, and Sunderland have moved quickly to add him to their existing coaching staff. He should be in place by the time the Black Cats begin their pre-season programme later this month.
Sunderland confirmed the club-record signing of Habib Diarra yesterday, and are close to completing the free signing of left-back Reinildo following his release from Atletico Madrid.
The Black Cats have agreed a deal for Union Saint Gilloise midfielder Noah Sadiki that will see them pay an initial fee of €17m, with a further €3m of agreed add-ons.
They have held talks with Chelsea over goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, having switched their attention to the Serbian, who spent last season on loan at Strasbourg, after another of their targets, Marcin Bulka, opted to join Saudi Arabian side NEOM.
Petrovic, who is valued at around £25m at Stamford Bridge, is expected to move this summer, but Sunderland face competition from a number of clubs, including Premier League rivals Bournemouth, as they look to strengthen their goalkeeping ranks.
